Gjin Aleksi Mosque
| Gjin Aleksi Mosque | |
|---|---|
| Native name Xhamia e Gjin Aleksit (Albanian) | |
 | |
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| Location | Rusan near Delvinë |
| Coordinates | 39°57′06″N 20°04′35″E / 39.9518°N 20.0764°E |
Gjin Aleksi Mosque (Albanian: Xhamia e Gjin Aleksit) is a 15th-century mosque in the village of Rusan, near Delvinë, Albania. It is a Cultural Monument of Albania.[1] The mosque is distinguished for the high quality of acoustics that is obtained through casks that are strategically placed in holes in the walls.[2]
Description
[edit]The mosque consists of a columned prayer hall with tile-covered domes, a minaret which does not have a roof anymore and a gallery for the muezzin. There is also a gallery for women on the side of the entrance. The hall has a frieze with the names of God in Islam. Due to walls covered with ceramics, the mosque has good acoustics.[3]
History
[edit]Evliya Çelebi describes Gjin Aleksi as a quarter of Delvina. The mosque was likely built in the first half of the 17th century. It seems that later it was turned into a center of the Bektashi order. Bektashi babas (clergymen) were originally buried in the hexagonal turrets, one of which direcly saw through the window to the mihrab in the east wall. The turrets serve as classrooms and prayer rooms.[3]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Religious buildings with the "Culture Monument" status". Republic of Albania National Committee for Cult. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2010.
- ^ Hoxha, Ermir. "Në kompleksin islamik të Delvinës". Archived from the original on 2010-10-25. Retrieved 2011-01-16.
- ^ a b Zindel, Christian; Lippert, Andreas; Lahi, Bashkim; Kiel, Machiel (2018). Albanien: Ein Archäologie- und Kunstführer von der Steinzeit bis ins 19. Jahrhundert (in German). Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. pp. 121–122.
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